Many of Rhode Island’s high school students can carry around the evidence of their accumulated knowledge and accomplishments without fear of muscle strain or bulging briefcases. That’s because a number of schools now track student achievement with a digital portfolio.

This year’s seniors are the first in the state to have spent four years in high school following the 2003 restructuring of graduation requirements, and subject to its mandate that they demonstrate skills across a number of academic disciplines. Many are storing that evidence on CDs and DVDs.

Administrators say that the near instantaneous storage and recall of papers, projects, artwork, etc. helps teachers – and students – easily track progress over time. Students take ownership of their work as never before, and teachers can more readily diagnose shortcomings, allowing them to work quickly and efficiently to rectify problems.

The state does not require digital portfolios – but because they seem to work well and because computer literacy is a worthy goal, perhaps it should.